nr 



QUESTIONS 



Classes oi Trades School 



MASSACHUSETTS REFORMATORY. 



JUN 3 '910 



4 



I Introduction. 

This pamphlet contains lists of questions used in 
the several departments of the Trades School in the 
Massachusetts Reformatory, which the boys are required 
to answer. I, (with the assistance of the different 
Instructors) have arranged these questions in as simple 
a manner as possible, in order' to teach the boys how to 
work understandingly. The boys are not given in- 
struction in theory only, bnt are taught to do fradicaL 
work. Considering the short term the average boy 
spends in the Institution, I think it wise to give him in- 
struction in the practical, rather than the theoretical, 
part of the work ; as it will be of more advantage to 
him when he is released. Hoping that the contents of 
this pamphlet will be a help to each boy who studies it 
carefully, I remain. 

Respectfully Yours, 

E. M. COMERY, 

Sup'' t of Trades School. 



MASSACHUSETTS REFORMATORY. 



QUESTIONS 



FOR THE 



PLUMBING CLASS 



NO. I. 



REFORMATORY PRINT 
1896. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Name the tools used in plumbing? 

2. What is solder made out of? 

3. What is lead tax made from? 

4. Name the exercises in plumbing? 

5. How would you tin a soldering iron? 

6. What is used besides solder to make a cup joint? 

7. Only what metals is it proper to use acid on? 

8. What is the average size of pipe used for water 

service in a house? 

9. Nime the different sizes in lead pipe and their 

weights per foot ? 

fo. Where is sink located in a house? 

11. Where are laundry tubs located? 

12, Where are bath tub, water-closet and set wash 

bowl located? 



13. Is it proper to use acid on lead connecStions? 

14. What is the difference between wiping solder and 

fine solder, same as used with iron ? 

15. How would you clean solder? 

16. What is needed to wipe a joint with? 
17' What are wiping; cloths made from? 

18. What are the sizes^ of wiping cloths? 

19. Name the different wiping cloths? 

20. How do you prepare a lead pipe to join it together^ 

joint to be wiped ? 

21. How do you prepare a bolt joint? 

22. How do you prepare an overcast joint? 

23. HovV do you prepare a joint to wipe on a faucet? 

24. What is irsed to prevent solder from sticUmg all 

over pipes? 

25,. What is used tO' form a- nice straight edge on round^ 
foint? 



QUESTIONS 



FOR THE 



PLUAVBING CLASS, 

NO. 2. 



NOTES. 



Before commencing work understand liow each line 
of pipe is to be placed and where each connection is to 
he ni.'de. Make a (hagram of each line of pipe with 
its connections drawn to a scale. This will save money 
by saving- time and avoiding was^e of material. 

Do not use inferior material to secure a job or even 
to oblige the owner. The loss of reputation, which, in 
the end will ensue, will more than equal any profit 
which may be obtained. 

A leak in a soil pipe may cause death or the ruin of 
a life through sickness. 

As cast iron pipe depends for its strength and for 
freedom from Haws and sand-holes upon the soundness 
of the casting, it is best to deal with houses of estab- 
lished reputation only. Tarred pipe is the most durable, 
but the tar temporarily covers imperfe6lions in the 
casting. 



QUESTIONS. 

1. What kind of pipe is used for drainage and waste 

water? 

2. Is ventilation a benefit to house drainage? 

3. What part of a trap should the ventilation be taken 

troui ? 

4. Why is it that a fresh air vent is not practical un- 

less carried above the highest window in the 
house ? 

^. What does syphoning a trap mean? 

6. What size soil pipe is used mostly where there are 

six fixtures perpendicularly ? Water-closets and 
bowls? 

7. What size soil pipe leading from a bath-room to 

drain should be used in order to get a proper 
flush ? 

8. Is it proper to have a separate trap for bath-tub? 

9. Is it proper to have a separate trap for wash-bowl ? 



10. In order to prevent traps under fixtures from 

syphonage \vh it should be done? 

11. How much seal of water has a water-closet trap 

got? 

12. How much seal of water has a i 1-2 full S trap 

for sink? 

13. How much seal of water has a round trap got? 

14. Why is it that a round trap is not as pradlical as a 

full S trap? 

15. What size lead may be used for waste for sinks 

and bowls? 

16. What kind of a faucet is best to use over a urinal? 

17. Why is it the best? 

18. What is a cleanout in a drain? 

19. What causes expansion and contra6fion in water 

pipes ? 

20. What is a running trap, and what is it used for? 



21. Is it proper to run condudlors into drain? 

22. How would you conned cast iron pipe joints to- 

gether? 

23. How would you run a joint in iron pipe when the 

pipe runs horizontally? 

24. What does calking a joint mean? 

25. What is a lead pipe fastened by when upright 
against a wall ? 

26^ What is it fastened by when running across ceiling 
or side Walls. 

27. What is soil pipe fastened by to wall when run- 

ning upright. 

28. Name the different fittings used with 4 inch soil 

pipe ? 

29. What is a tank used for? 

30. What is a water-closet valve? 

31. How is it operated? 

32. Describe what a ball cock is? 



33- What is it used for? 

34. How large should a pipe from tank to water-closet 

be in order to get a good flush? 

35. How high should an ordinary size tank be from 

floor to get a good flush ? 

36. What is a trap and why is it used? 

37. Name the different traps in ordinary use? 

-28. Do they always allow the waste from sink to enter 
drain without catching greasy matter? 

39. Why is it they use a catch basin or a grease trap? 

40. Name the tools needed to conned soil pipe? 

41. Where is stop-cock placed to control water from 

going up through the house to fixtures? 

42. Is there more than one stop-cock required in a 

modern improved house? 

43. Name the fixtures conneded with modern im- 

provements ? 



44 • Is it best not to enclose plumbing work from sight? 
And why? 

45. What is a shower bath? 

46. How is it arranged and where in the bath-room ? 

47. In order to get a good flow of hot water in house 

where should tank be located ? 

48. What care should be taken when arranging tank 

in above position? 

49. Is it necessary for a plumber to understand plans? 

50. What is the best way to test soil pipe? 



QUESTIONS 



FOR THE 



TINSMITH CLASS, 



H 



QUESTIONS. 

1 . What tools are generally used in this trade ? 

2. What are used for bench tools? 

3. How man\' kinds of snips and shears are used? 

4. How many hammers? 

5. What are the names of machines used by tinsmiths? 

6. Describe the use of each. 

7. What stakes are used? 

8. Name the use of each. 

9. VVlial is a lap-seam? 

10. What is a groove? 

1 1. What is a double seam ? 

12. What metals are commonly worked in this trade? 

13. Name the different tins, and how they differ. 

14. How are the different weights of tin expressed? 

15. Which is the thicker, X or XX, etc. ? 



15 



i6. What is meant by charcoal tin? 

17. What by coke tin? 

18. What by terne tin? 

19. What by Banca tin? 

20. What by straits tin? 

21. How many kinds of iron are used in this trade? 

22. How is the weight expressed on American iron. 

23. How on American galvanized? 

24. How on Russia iron ? 

25. What iron is best? 

26. What is the most expensive, and why? 

27. What the least expensive? 

28. What is the difference in appearance? 

29. Name the different kinds of copper usually worked 

in this trade. 

30. What is meant by hard and soft copper? 

31. What by planished copper? 



i6 



32. What by tinned copper? 

33. What by plain copper ? 

34. What by bolt copper? 

35. Name some of the uses of each. 

36. How many kinds of zinc do we use? 

37. Name some of the places in which zinc is better 

than iron (either plain or galvanized). 

38. Why is zinc preferable to iron for roofs and val- 

leys on roofs, etc. r 

39. Why is zinc usually put under stoves instead of 

iron or tin ? 

40. Of what is solder composed? 

41. What proportions? 

42. When solder shrinks in cooling is it too coarse, or 

fine ? 

43. What is meant by coarse, or fine? 

44. How do you improve it if too coarse? 



45' How, if too fine? 

46. What do you use in soldering? 

47. Why is resin used in soldering? 

48. Why is muriatic acid used ? 

49. How do you prepare a soldering copper for use? 

50. How do you prepare iron for soldering? 

51. How tin? 

52. How zinc? 

53. How lead? 

54. What will melt at least heat, iron or solder? 

55. What melts first, brass or solder? 
^6. What melts first, zinc or solder? 



QUESTIONS 

ABOUT 

Brickwork, Lime, Mortar 
and Cement. 

FOR BRICKLAYING CLASS. 



BRICKWORK. 

Bond is an arrangement of bricks or stones laid 
beside and above each other, so that the vertical joints 
between any two bricks does not coincide with that be- 
tween any other two. (This is termed "breaking 
joints"). 

Header is a brick laid with an end to face of wall. 

Stretcher is a brick laid parallel to face of wall. 

Header Course or Bond is a course or courses of 
headers alone. 

Closers are pieces of bricks inserted in alternate 
courses, in order to obtain a bond by preventing two 
headers from being exa(5tly over a stretcher. 

Flemish Bond is laying of headers and stretchers 
alternately in each course. 

Guaged Work — Bricks cut and rubbed to exa6l 
shape required. 

String Course is a horizontal and projecting course 
around a building. 

Cornice is a projection which crowns or finishes 
the parts of a building. 

Color of Bricks depends upon composition of the 



clay, the moulding sand, temperature of burning and 
volume of air admitted to kiln. 

Pure clay, that is free from iron, will burn white. 

Presence of iron produces a tint rangirg from red 
and orange to a light yellow, according to proportion of 
iron. 

Why should bricks always be wet before being 
used ? 

Because a dry brick'will absorb the water from the 
mortar and will become a powdery mass of lime and 
sand and injure the binding power of the mortar. 

To find the number of bricks required for a build- 
ing or wall. 

Find the number of cubic feet by multiplying the 
length, height and thickness of walls (in feet) together. 
This multiplied by 22 1-2 (the number of bricks in a 
cubic foot) will be the number of bricks required. * 

To find the number of bricks in a wall. 

First ascertain the number of square feet of surface, 
and then multiply by seven for a 4-inch wall, by 14 for 
an 8-inch wall, by 21 for a 12-inch wall, and by 28 for 
a 16-inch wall. 

Above rules are for bricks 8 inches long, 4 inches 
wide, and 2 inches thick. 



Ouestioos About Lime, Mortar and Cement. 

I. How is lime obtained? 

By calcininoj limestone. 
3. What is meant by calcining? 

Expellinj^ the moisture and the carbonic acid gas 
from the limestone by a6lion of heat, moisture 
and carbonic acid gas being component parts 
of limestone. 

3. What is carbonic acid gas? 

It is poisonous ; it is found in the atmosphere ; it 
is thrown off in large quantities of decaying 
vegetable matter; it is produced by our breath 
and from burniiig charcoal ; it can be obtained 
from limestone by pouring sulphuric acid upon 
it. 

4. What happens when lime is exposed to the air? 

It becomes air slaked. 

5. What is meant by air slaked? 

Lime which, when exposed to the air, absorbs 
moisture and carbonic acid. This makes it 
unfit for mortar, because it is necessary that 
the carbonic acid gas he absorbed after the 
mortar is used. 



6. How is mortar made? 

Mortar is made by mixing one part of slaked 
lime to two parts of clean, sharp sand. 

7. How much water does lime absorb in slaking? 

About one-quarter its weight. 

8. How much does lime expand when mixed with 

water ? 
Two or three times. 

9. What sort of sand is the best for mortar? 

Clean, sharp sand. 
10. How can sand be tested? 

By rubbing it on the palm of the hand. It should 
sciatch the skin, but not soil it. 
[i. Why is sea sand obje6lionable ? 

It has had its angles worn off by fri6tion, and it 
is impregnated with salt. 
[2. What harm does the salt do? 

Salt absorbs water. Mortar in which salt enters 
is constantly becoming damp, by absorbing 
moisture from the atmosphere. 
3. Will slaked lime keep without being mixed with 
water ? 
Yes; slaked lime, so long as it is protected from 
the atmosphere, is benefited by being kept, 
any impurities existing- in it become absorbed. 



H 



The Roinan building laws required it to be 
kept two years. In Ital\' the lime is always 
slaked when a building is commenced and 
kept in pits, covered with a layer of earth. 
When the slaked lime cracks, the earth is 
scraped off and the lime is sprinkled and cov- 
ered again. It is kept covered with earth to 
prevent the absorption of the carbonic acid gas 
from the atmosphere. . 

14. How should slaked lime and sand be mixed to 

make mortar? 
It should be mixed so thoroughly that each grain 
of sand is covered with a thin film of slaked 
lime, and a sufficient quantity of slaked lime 
added to make a paste like moss. 

15. What should be particularly guarded against.^ 

That no lumps of unslaked lime or masses of 
sand unmixed with lime should be left; both 
are injurious to the mortar. 

16. Is there any advantage in keeping mortar after it is 

mixed with sand? 
Rather tlie reverse. As it commences to harden 
the only advantage is that the second working 
mixes the lime and sand as thoroughly as 
should have been done at first. 



25 



17. Why is mortar more adhesive than slaked lime 

unmixed with sand? 
Slaked lime, when dried in any quantity, will 
easily crumble, and also shrinks considerably 
as it dries. 

18. When hair is added to mortar for plastering, what 

precaution must be taken ? 
The mortar must be cold, otherwise the hair will 
be burned and the plaster will be liable to fall. 

19. How does mortar unite biicks? 

By entering into the pores of the bricks and 
forming a solid mass with the bricks. 

20. How are cements divided? 

• They are divided into two classes — natural and 
artificial cement. 

21. What is natural cement? 

Cement made from limestone containing about 
20 per cent, of clay. Rosendale cement is a 
natural cement, and is from Rosendale, N. Y. 
23. Name some of the artificial cements? 

Hydraulic, Roman and Portland cement. 
23. What is hydraulic cement used mostly for? 

It is used in constru6tion of fortifications, break- 
waters, foundations of bridges, etc., because 



26 



of the useful properties which it possesses of 
rapidly settling when immersed in water. 

24. What are some of the properties of Hydraulic 

cement ? 
The best of Hydraulic cement contains a large 
proportion of silica, alumina and magnesia. 
It does not slake after calcination, and will set 
under water in from 3 to 4 minutes, while 
others require as many hours. It does not 
shrink in hardening, and makes an excellent 
mortar without any admixture of sand. 

25. What is Roman cement? 

It is made from a lime of peculiar chara6ler 
found in England and France, and derived 
from kidney shaped stones. It is about 33 per 
cent, of the strength of Portland, and is not 
adapted for use with sand. 

26. What is Portland cement? 

It is made in England and France from chalk 
and clay ; this mixture is moulded into bricks 
burned in a kiln at a low temperature to expel 
the carbonic acid gas, and is ground to a pow- 
der. Portland cement is improved by age if 
kept from moisture. It possesses the advantage 
of being managed by ordinary workmen. As 



27 



quick setting cement is always difficult to use, 
it requires special workmen and an a6live 
supervision. The less water used in mixing 
cement the better. Bricks, stones, etc., used 
with cement should be well wet before used. 
In using sand with cement, at the end of a 
year i of cement to i of sand is about 75 per 
cent, of the strength of neat cement; i to 2, 
50 per cent, strength; i to 3, 33 per cent, 
strength; i to 4, 25 per cent, strength; i to 5, 
16 per cent, strength. The above requires 
clean and sharp sand. Salt water has a ten- 
dency to decompose cement of all kinds, and 
its strength is considerably impaired by a mix- 
ture with it. 



QUESTIONS 



BLACKSMITH CLASS, 



30 

QUESTIONS. 



1. How should a forge be built? 

2. How should a chimney be built? 

3. What kind of a tuyere iron should be used? 

4. Why are bellows or blowers used? 

5. What is the difference between anthracite and 

bituminous coal? 

6. What kind of coal is used in a forge? 

7. Why is this kind used? 

8. What is coke? 

9. What is charcoal ? 

10. When is charcoal used in blacksmithing? 

I r. Why should it be used? 

12. How should a fire be built? 

13. Why should we wet coal? 

14. Describe the following-named tools and their uses: 

Flat and round pein hammers, sle<lge, tongs 



hardy, cutter, cold chisel, centre punch, punch, 
calipers, rule, top and bottom swiges, top and 
bottom fullers, heading tools, vise. 

15. What are stakes and small horns used for? 

16. How should an anvil be made? 

17. What metals do blacksmiths use? 

18. Where do w^e get-iron ? 

19. How is it prepared for use? 

20. What are the different grades of iron ? 

21. What makes some kinds of iron so much better 

than others? 

22. Why does iron work easier when heated? 

23. What is meant by upsetting iron? 

24. What is meant by chamfer? 

25. What is meant by an offset? 

26. What is meant by v\'elding iron? 

27. What is a scarf? 

28. Hovs^ many kinds of wields are there? 



32 



29. Explain the scarfs for the different welds? 

30. Why is sand used in welding? 

31. Why is iron upset before welding? 

32. What is solid work? 

33. How is steel made? 

34. What is the difference between cheap steel and 

fine steel? 

35. What kind of a fire should be used for steel work? 

36. Why does it spoil steel to overheat it? 

37. How hot should steel be heated? 

38. How is steel tempered? 

39. What makes the color? 

40. How do we know what color to use? 

41. Why not cool the steel at a certain heat and get 

the same result? 

42. What color should be used to temper a tool to cut 

iron ? 



33 



43' What color should be used to temper a tool to cut 
steel ? 

44. What color should be used to temper a tool to cut 

stone ? 

45. What color should be used to temper a tool to cut 

wood ? 

46. Why is a tool tempered harder to cut vvood than 

' steel ? 

4y. What kind of steel is used for tool making? 

48. What is low grade steel used for? 

49. Why are some tools made of iron and steel faced? 

50. Explain all about welding steel, and why borax is 

used ? 



FOR THE 



-!• CIvASS IN H 



CAR,Ptr?TKQ, 



37 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Name some of the most important bench tools. 

2. Explain the marks and figures on a two-foot 
rule. 

3. Name the different kinds of bench planes. 

4. What is the jack plane used for mostly? 

5. What plane is used to joint and straighten edges 
and surfaces of boards, etc. ? 

6. Which plane is used to smooth this work? 

7. What is the block plane used for? 

8. Name some of the different kinds of saws. 

9. What is the cross-cut saw used for? 

10. Which saw is used to cut lengthwise with the 
grain? 

11. How should the file be held to file a cross-cut 
saw ? 

12. How should the file be held to file a splitting 



3S 



13. What is a steel square? 

14. What is a try square and what is it used for? 

15. Explain the use of the guage. 

16. Explain a use of the bevel. 

17. What is a witness or try mark? 

iS. In working boards to a certain length and 
breadth and thickness what tools do you use? 

19. What will give the best results planing with or 
against the grain ? 

20. Explain the exercise of planing a board to a 
certain length, breadth and thickness. 

21. What is meant by square joints? 

22. Explain a mitre joint. 

23. Iiow do you set a bevel for a mitre on the steel 
square? 

24. What is a mortise and tenon joint? 

25. Explain the dove tail and blind dove tail joints. 

26. Explain the use of the mitre box. 



39 



27. What is meant by board measure? 

28. How many feet in a board 12 feet long, 12 in. 
wide and i in. thick? 

29. What is meant by joist? 

30. Name some of the different sizes of joist. 

31. Name some of the principal parts of a frame of 
a wooden building. 

32. What are sills and cross sills? 

33. What are floor joist headers and bridging? 

34. What are posts braces and studding? 

35. What are plate rafters and ridge? 

36. What are partitions and partition caps? 

37. How should the sills of a house be placed? 

38. How can you square the sill by the use of a 10 
foot pole ? 

39. What kinds of wood are mostly used for the 
frames of a wooden building? 

40. What is used for boarding sides and roofing? 



40 



41. What is used for outside finish mostly? 

42. Give some of the names for outside finish. 

43. What are matched boards? 

44. What is blind nailing on matched boards? 

45. What is a panel ? 

46. Name the different joints in a panel door. 

47. Name the different parts in a panel door? 

48. What is a raised panel? 

49. What is a raised moulding? 

50. What is a flush moulding? 

51. Name some of the different sizes of nails. 

52. What is the difference between brads and com- 
mon nails? 



I 



QUESTIONS. 

1. Name the tools used in plumbing. 

2. What is solder made out of? 

3. What is lead tax made from? 

4. Name the exercises in plumbing. 

5. How would you tin a soldering iron? 

6. What is used beside solder to make a cup joint? 

7. Only what metals is it proper to use acid on? 

8. What is the average size of pipe used for water 

service in a house ? 



9- Name the different sizes in lead pipe and their 
weights per foot, ,, - ^, 

10. Where is sink located in a house? 

1 1 . Where are laundry tubs located ? 

12. Where are bath tub, water-closer and set wash 

bowl located? 

13. Is it proper to use acids on lead connections? 

14. What is the difference between wiping solder and 

fine solder, same as used with iron? 

15. How would you clean solder? 

16. What is needed to wipe a joint with? 

17. What are wiping cloths made from? 



1 8. What are the sizes of wiping cloths? 

19. Name the different wiping cloths. 

20. How do you prepare a lead pipe to joint it to- 

gether, joint to be wiped ? 

21. How do you prepare a bolt joint? 

22. How do you prepare an over cast joint? 

23. How do you prepare a joint to v/ipe on a faucet? 

24. What is used to prevent solder from sticking all 

over pipes? 

25. What is used to form a nice straight edge on 

round joint? 



•■'® 



